Theresa McDowell serves as Board President of Operation Equine, having stepped into the role after several years as Treasurer. An Army Veteran, she brings the discipline and precision of her service to the steadfast management of the organization and its mission.

Professionally, Theresa is part of the Employee Benefit Plan (EBP) audit team at Weaver, where she specializes in assuring adherence to IRS and Department of Labor ERISA regulations. Her work spans a wide range of plans, from small-scale funds to those with assets exceeding $1 billion, with a focus on fortifying internal controls and helping clients meet their fiduciary duties. She is known for crafting tailored solutions that strengthen plan compliance.

That same commitment to careful oversight and dependable support carries into her leadership at Operation Equine, where she helps guide the organization's financial health and long-term stability.

Steve Calhoun brings four decades of leadership across U.S. defense, the U.S. Intelligence Community, the State Department, and the aerospace and defense industry. Originally from Chicago, he served 25 years in the Army as a Military Intelligence officer, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. His assignments took him to Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, Germany (twice), Japan, Korea, Iraq, Uganda, and other locations around the globe.

After the Army, Steve spent 15 years with Lockheed Martin as a Business Development Principal, working with the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Special Operations Command, and other government organizations. He lived and worked primarily in Colorado and Maryland while supporting programs based in Arizona, Florida, and New York.

Steve holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from Webster University. He also trained at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, the Army Intelligence Center and School at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

He has long served and led nonprofit organizations, including the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA), where he has chaired committees for chapters in Northern Colorado and Eastern Maryland and currently serves as President of the Northern Colorado chapter. He has also chaired committees for several Boy Scouts of America troops and other local groups.

Steve and his wife Renee are semi-retired and live near the University of Denver, where they enjoy the mountains, the outdoors, the people of Colorado, and their two dogs, Zoe and Harley. They have two daughters: Cassandra, who lives in Los Angeles, and Scarlett, an Eagle Scout and a senior at DePaul University in Chicago.

Izzy Abbass is a Desert Storm Army veteran and founder/CEO of Eleven Bravo Telecommunications. He brings 30+ years in telecom, leading digital strategy and deployments in the U.S. and overseas. Abbass has served on the Operation Equine Advisory Board since the beginning, and also serves on the Board of Directors for Paralyzed Veterans of America and co-chairs its Multiple Sclerosis Committee. He's also been active nationally in veteran transition to education and employment, commanded Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1 for five years, and created the concept for the VA's crisis text line in 2011. He was named Colorado Veteran of the Year in 2012 for his efforts on suicide mitigation.

Jessie Koerner has over a decade of strategic digital communications and public relations experience. She has worked with private businesses, public agencies and nonprofits, and on election and legislative campaigns to successfully impact policy and behavior change.

She's managed communications and government affairs for oil and gas, acted as campaign spokeswoman for two successful 2016 statewide ballot initiatives, and developed digital strategy empowering audiences to plan for the end of life. Jessie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Furman University and her Master of Arts in Global Health and International Security from the University of Denver. She's a Denver native and competitive equestrian. Fun Fact: Jessie is a proud and unapologetic horse girl. Today, she owns four horses: Finale, Parker, Fitz and Ace!

Rob Bingham is a current Aviation Company Commander and Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the Colorado Army National Guard. He is a Veteran of two combat deployments and a leader in the local Veteran community. He is the founder and Executive Director of the largest Veteran event-oriented nonprofit organization in the state, Colorado Veterans Project. Rob has worked in both the nonprofit sector and the Corporate Giving sector for over 6 years and has a passion for positively affecting his community and fellow Veterans.

One of Rob's proudest accomplishments is the invention and continuation of the Memorial Day Run & March event in which his team raises over $100,000 and 40,000 pounds of food annually to help feed local homeless Veterans. Rob currently serves on the board of directors of multiple Veteran nonprofit organizations and volunteers his time to consult with many more.

Though community service is his professional passion, his personal passions include snowboarding with his wife, hiking with his dogs, recreational aviation, and collecting and restoring old firearms.

My life is about being of service and helping people heal. My passion as a Transformative Coach is guiding folks to look in a new direction that transforms their lives. Often I bring horses into the conversation, which accelerates deep insight, utilizing my training as an Equine Guided Educator.

I served my country for 21 years, both as an enlisted Marine and as an Air Force Officer, retiring with the rank of Major.

My healing journey started 25 years ago after returning from Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm; in severe emotional pain, I wanted to end my life. Through processing my own grief, I discovered I have the capacity to be supportive, empathetic, and present for others who were suffering over life losses.

The discovery of this new capacity led me to become a certified Grief Facilitator with the non-profit Tragedy Assistance for Survivors (TAPS) and have worked with TAPS for 20 years, counseling military children who had lost loved ones. I am also on staff with the Men's Leadership Alliance, where we guide men to discover their soul's work and deepen their connections with their spouses, children and communities. Additionally, I am honored to be a co-founder of the Warrior Storyfield in Longmont Colorado, bringing veterans and civilians together to explore the warriors journey home through a communal art project.

I'm currently on staff at Save A Warrior where I lead cohorts of men and women, veterans and first responders, through the nation's premier suicide prevention program known as the SAW Experience.

Ensign Hamilton is currently in the final year of her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Denver. A Navy brat, Dani specialized in both military and health psychology and commissioned into the Navy in 2016. She received her BS in Criminal Justice & Psychology at Sam Houston State University in 2008, her MS in Criminal Justice & Forensic Psychology from the University of New Haven in 2010, and her MS in General & Neuropsychology from Drexel in 2012. She then procured funding to create and implement the second Veterans Treatment Court in Colorado and worked as the court coordinator for the 18th Judicial District. Dani also works for Senator Michael Bennet's veterans working group and facilitates therapy with military, veterans, and their families at the Sturm Center as well as equine therapy with Operation Equine. This year, she is working at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes and STRIDE Community Health Center while completing her doc paper on how equine-assisted therapy affects post traumatic growth in combat veterans.

Christine is a detailed, compassionate, driven, and loyal woman with high integrity. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Psychology from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

She has an extensive career in service: she served in the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer all over the world, with added skills as a Recruiter, Instructor, Security Manager, and Examiner for over 26 years, earning 18 awards, and served in 2 combat campaigns. She has also served the community in Law Enforcement for 10 years, and is currently the Operations Service Officer for the Boulder County Sheriff Office.

She has been married for 17 years and enjoys riding her Honda Goldwing motorcycle, teaching downhill skiing at Winter Park Resort, and going to the movies.

She follows a personal philosophy of “things happen for a reason,” and as hard as life can be: “I have always been able to find the Golden Wing of light on the road ahead of me.”

Tiffany is a veteran of the US Navy and served between 1997 and 2001 onboard an aircraft carrier as an Aviation Ordnanceman. She comes from a long line of military service in her family and is also married to a Navy veteran, so veteran's issues are near and dear to her heart. She holds a BA in Psychology and has spent the last decade working in community mental health as a clinical case manager, with the last two years specifically in a veteran mental health clinic.

Tiffany is the founder of Your Weapon is Your Mind, LLC where she teaches organizations and mental healthcare professionals how to work with active duty members, veterans, and their families by facilitating a Military Cultural Competency training. She also partners with Michelle Kaye, Executive Director at Operation Equine to facilitate an experiential training teaching the same topic.

Tiffany's mission is to be the translator between the well-intentioned, unknowing healthcare professional and the veteran. She has had a foot in both worlds for 14 years, not only as a veteran but also as a mental health service provider to veterans, and can speak the language of both the veteran and the clinician. This is how she wants to advocate for her brothers and sisters of future generations.

Evan Munsing served in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer, including time in Afghanistan as a military advisor to the Afghan National Army. Prior to his military service, Evan was a research fellow at the National Defense University focused on improving complex interagency operations.

Since leaving the Marines, Evan has spent a decade in the private sector as a consultant, executive, and investor. He currently works at Corbel Capital Partners, guiding investments into small and medium businesses, partnering with management teams, and occasionally taking CEO roles during company transformations. In addition to his work with Operation Equine, Evan is on the board of Highland United Neighbors, Inc, a registered neighborhood organization in Denver.

Vatsala Kapur Pathy brings over two decades of experience in health policy and public health. She is the Founder and Managing Director of Rootstock Solutions LLC, a healthcare consulting firm and has federal and state clients including the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Previously, she was a Senior Advisor to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She also served as the Colorado State Innovation Model Director in the Office of Governor John Hickenlooper, a statewide delivery system and payment reform initiative focused on the integration of behavioral health and primary care.

She was also a senior program officer at The Colorado Health Foundation, where she was responsible for grant making and initiative development to support healthcare delivery for low-income populations. Vatsala was also a program officer at the CDC Foundation, where she served as a steward and manager of a number of national and international public health projects. She has extensive experience on state health policy research and program implementation with the Office of Colorado Governor Roy Romer, the Georgia Health Policy Center and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado.

Vatsala is a recipient of The Livesay Award for Social Change from The Colorado College and The American Marshall Memorial Fellowship. She was also selected to participate in the University of Colorado's Denver Community Leadership Forum. She is presently a trustee and chair of the compensation committee at St. Anne's Episcopal School, Vice Chair at World Denver and a board member of the Children's Museum of Denver and the Bell Policy Center. Previously, she has also served as an Operating Board member of Bonfils Blood Center.

Vatsala received a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, and a Master of Arts degree from the Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated cum laude with distinction with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history with a Latin America concentration and a minor in North American Studies from The Colorado College. She also has a Certificate in Mediation from the University of Denver.

Sergeant Major (Retired) Alex Racey is a performance coach, health & wellness educator, and writer. A former Fortune 500 executive, retired Army Special Operations Sergeant Major and founder of First Principles Performance, LLC in 2018. After 25 years in the Army, he, his wife, kids and pets live in Castle Rock, Colorado.

Steve Sisson is a Retired Longmont Police Officer. He served as a Scout for a Marine Rifle Company in Vietnam 1968-1969. He also served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2006-2008 as an International Police Advisor in Baghdad, Iraq. He is married to Amy Sisson for approximately 20 years. He was introduced to Operation Equine in 2017 and has benefited from the programs of this powerful method of counseling.

Dr. Debra Tasci has over 35 years of clinical practice helping individuals, couples and families. She has extensive experience in trauma debriefing with airline personnel, law enforcement agencies, emergency medical workers, and victims of crime. She holds a Master's Degree in Social Work and a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology. She is a certified Employee Assistance Professional, a member of the American Psychological Association, the Colorado Psychological Association, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Additionally, she is a Substance Abuse Professional, with expertise in the area of chemical dependency, and she conducts substance abuse evaluations for the Department of Transportation for individuals holding safety sensitive jobs. She has completed training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) designed to help couples in distress, is a certified EMDR therapist, and is the co-author of the Trauma Recovery Handbook.

She has worked at Nicoletti-Flater Associates since 1996, conducting individual, couples, and family counseling, fitness for duty assessments, trauma debriefing/defusing, substance abuse assessments, and psychological assessments for job applicants seeking employment in Antarctica. She has also been a consultant to the Denver Police Peer Support Team since 1996 and is Board Certified in Police and Public Safety Psychology. Most recently, Dr. Tasci has attained a Level II Status in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy.

Dr. Lane Volpe is an anthropologist with expertise in the field of research translation, program development, implementation and evaluation. She has a depth of experience gathering the narratives of clients, staff, funders, and policy makers to inform a more functional approach to the design and delivery of therapeutic programs.

Lane has experience working with government agencies, non-profits, and universities on planning and implementation across diverse service sectors, including early childhood, education, criminal justice, and human services. She has previously been involved in developing an equine therapy program for first responders, and has volunteered for equine-assisted therapy programs in Colorado. Her focus in this field of work is to acknowledge and appreciate the connection between human and animal wellbeing, and to ensure that animal-assisted therapy programs do not try to benefit people at the expense of other parts of life. She is devoted to opportunities where animals and people can support and assist each other.